At its meeting last Monday, the Carroll City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment that will update the city’s outdated building codes to align with the ones used by the State of Iowa. Building Department Director Dan Hannasch explains why the change is being proposed.
A public hearing is required for the city to update the building codes, which was also hosted during last week’s meeting. No contractors from the community were on hand to speak for or against the change, but several council members did have questions. Councilmen Kyle Bauer and Jason Atherton are concerned that the new codes could make building in town prohibitively expensive.
The new building code is based on the 2021 International Series of Codes and serves as a starting point rather than being adopted wholesale. City Manager Aaron Kooiker says individual sections can be excluded or adjusted to fit local needs, which is what the city has done.
Examples include gypsum board firebreaks between garages and dwelling areas, and loosened restrictions on residential fire suppression systems. After assurances from city staff that most local contractors favor the new code language, the council voted unanimously to approve its first reading. Additional readings are required for the new building codes to be adopted, with the second reading slated for the Monday, Dec. 8, meeting.
